I’ve always said that despite musical differences, if I was driving down the road and saw Sam Hunt, Luke Bryan, or Florida Georgia Line on the side of the road with their hood propped open and holding a set of jumper cables, I’d pull up beside them and give them a boost. It’s not because I like their music, it’s because in the end, our opinions about music are superfluous to our humanity. People first, then music. I can’t stand 95% of Luke Bryan’s stuff, but by all accounts he’s a great guy off the stage, not limited to all the things he done for his family, taking in his sibling’s son after the passing of his sister and her husband, along with the things he’s done for farmers and charity, and not in ways that are exclusively about self-promotion like so many celebrities.

But I think I would just drive on by if I saw Jason Aldean stranded, and may flip him the bird for good measure, especially after the things he’s said surrounding his new album They Don’t Know. Apparently their marketing angle for the new record is to come out all defiant in the media, taking jabs at folks and how they just don’t “get” the South and the corporate country culture that he’s a part of.

“It’s a fucking ridiculous term,” Jason Aldean says about Bro-Country in a recent choreographed Billboard puff piece that couches Jason Aldean as sticking up for blue collar America. “It’s incredibly insulting to me. It’s meant to describe guys whose songs are all about pickup trucks, drinking beer and girls. It’s meant to talk down to us—me, Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, all of us. They haven’t bothered to listen to the body of work I’ve recorded over the years. At least take time to do your homework.”

Do your homework? That’s what douchebag 19-year-olds say in YouTube comment sections. Though I can’t speak for everyone, Saving Country Music has done its homework, digging back into to the past of not just Jason Aldean, but most all of the current Bro-Country acts and giving them credit for the good songs released early in their career, and for good album cuts on otherwise bad albums—both exercises which featured Jason Aldean prominently. But all those few select good songs prove is that Jason Aldean and others know better, and still release bad music with impunity and rapidity.

All this “life ain’t fair” bullshit is coming from a guy who was emblazoned on the front of People Magazine in a cover story touting him as an amazing family man on the same exact week he was caught in L.A. getting handsy with some American Idol castoff. Aldean later blamed poor judgement and said nothing happened beyond a little bit of heavy petting in the bar. But of course now he’s married to that girl, Brittany Kerr, so how are we supposed to believe anything he says? What Jason Aldean chooses to do in his personal life is really none of our business … until he flaunts it in our face that he’s a family man while he’s philandering, and then turns back around and puts the ire on the public and the media for not understanding him.

“In this day and age people are so sensitive that no matter what you do, somebody is going to make a big deal out of it,” he says. “Me doing that had zero malicious intent … I get that race is a touchy subject, but not everybody is that way. Media tends to make a big deal out of things.”

The worst part about the blackface incident was not the blackface itself. I’ll take Jason Aldean at his word that he’s not a racist, and wasn’t intending to lampoon black people with the costume. But for the love of God, you’re a country music superstar. Are you really surprised folks freaked out when you wore blackface? It’s not the intent, it’s the abject stupidity and lack of self-awareness of not knowing any better, and how it couches country music and its fans as a bunch of backwards idiots.

“If that was disrespectful to anyone, I by all means apologize,” Aldean goes on to say. “That was never my intention. It never crossed my mind.”

First off, saying you’re sorry if someone was offended is not an apology, especially when it comes 10 1/2 months too late. And yes Jason Aldean, it never crossed your mind. Yet in this same Billboard interview you’re skewering people for not doing their homework. In what universe would wearing blackface in 2016 be considered socially acceptable by someone in the public eye?

This is the reason that it’s imperative that true country music fans, true blue collar Americans, and people of just general decency publicly distance from someone like Jason Aldean, and lump his music into some demeaning subgenre with terms like Bro-Country. So many folks love to say about the efforts to criticize music, “Hey, why do you even give attention to those guys?” It’s because as a country fan, I sure as hell don’t want someone pulling up Billboard and thinking that somehow Jason Aldean represents my viewpoint or perspective on music or life as a country music fan.

At the heart of the title of Jason Aldean’s new record They Don’t Know is this assertion that everyone but Jason Aldean and his surrogates are stupid and just don’t understand. We need to do our homework. It’s a “We don’t like your kind” affirmation for 2016.

I haven’t even heard the new record, and thanks to Aldean excluding it from all streaming services for the first month, I don’t have to. And unless a legal copy drops in my lap, I won’t listen. Because I sure as hell won’t be dropping $10.99 to support this type of misguided rhetoric, say nothing about the terrible singles we’ve heard from the album so far.

Saying “They Don’t Know” is not the right country music attitude. That’s not trying to create a big tent. That’s not putting our best foot forward. That makes us look like a bunch of judgemental simps. And as if Jason Aldean truly knows what it is to be from the sticks these days, or his music somehow represents the authenticity of rural or Southern living. Jason Aldean’s music is voyeuristic escapism for suburban boredom. The true rednecks of America are either listening to classic country, or jamming Kid Rock as they cook meth.

“Don’t talk down about things you’ve never experienced,” Aldean says to sum up the sentiment of the title track on the new album. What does this even mean? Aldean is trying to couch himself as some sort of victim of something, when he’s wealthy and successful beyond his wildest dreams. If he doesn’t like the way his legacy is being painted, then quit doing and saying dumb shit, and release some decent tunes.

The new music on They Don’t Know will be dealt with in due course. But in the meantime this attitude and marketing angle Aldean has taken can’t go unchecked. The reason Jason Aldean is the reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year is because he’s been wildly successful in his career and is emblazoned in the public spotlight. But the reason he was recently snubbed completely by the CMA is because he’s a bad representative of what country music should aspire to be.

Jason Aldean wants it both ways. He wants to be considered country music’s outspoken bad boy, while also whining about the inherent unfairness of how he’s perceived. And nowhere in that mix is humility, gratefulness, or even a hint of remorse for the mistakes he’s made.

80 Comments

There was a time in country music if you had an affair on your wife and then divorced her to marry the woman who you had been having affair with, then your music was stopped and you lost out for many years. Isn’t that what Jason did? Guess now it doesn’t count anymore and today’s country is barely country music at all.

Used to love Garth Brooks because all he talked about was family and how he valued his wife and children. Yea right be valued Sandy but at the same time love Trisha and once he made it big, he divorced Sandy so he could marry Trisha. Can’t stand the two-faced man now.

I agree that couples splitting up, even more so after fame takes its toll on their marriage. However, I have to disagree with you on it affecting people’s careers. Look at Johnny Cash, and some of the other country greats.

He has a house in Santa Rosa Beach, near our home. About 3 years ago we had 3 of 4 people drown in the gulf due to rip tides and double red flags. He ignored the flags and when the Sherrif’s Department issued him a ticket for entering the water he ranted and raved asking, “do you know who I am?”. We have a great Sherrif and he advised the assjack he didn’t care who he was and if he didn’t slow his roll he’d get a free ride in the patrol car to spending some time in the county lock up. What an arrogant a-hole.🙄

What I find amazing is that there are people who are willing to defend him and his bullshit. I hate bringing up the “Friends in Low Places” remake but this is kinda relevant, I basically told everyone at Planet Garth that I did not agree with Garth bringing in Aldean and FGL to the remake of that song because I felt that they did not belong on there, to the point where I even planned to skip it if it ever got released.

I got this for a reply from a PG-er who will not be named “ElectricOukast if you’re in mid 30’s or older, country radio isn’t for you and they really don’t care if your demographic likes it or not. Just admit it and move on. Nobody is putting a gun to your head and making you listen to anything. You sound like an old crouch. I think the saving country music blog is for you because all they do is ***** and complain. I don’t particular like it either but I know who that music is intended for and it’s not me but I’m also not going to waste my time *****ing and complaining either. ”

I’ll still post on there on occasion but I’m about half-tempted to give this person an ass-whoopin because I told them that I’m technically not in my 30’s I was not even 2 months old when Keith Whitley died. I can understand attacking my opinion but attack my age we’re gonna have a problem.

I’ve liked him alot over the years – going back to his original albums and before he became a big super star. The last couple years have been rough for him (as Shooter touches on, and mostly self inflicted).

It’s become fairly apparent he is propped up there as the singer – but he’s not the one writing songs, not wildly talented as a musician, not all that compelling personality wise. He’s the face of the production and marketing team behind him, and its been a successful 10 year run. He was always probably destined to fade out over time. What is he going to evolve to music wise? Whatever the handlers push him to be and that will sell is my guess. They’ve instructed him to put on this angry persona for this record, so he’s doing his best to play that role (and its not terribly authentic). Only speaking out on things when a record is about to release? Yeah, I’m not quite convinced of your convictions on that.

….”..He’s the face of the production and marketing team behind him, and its been a successful 10 year run.”

Exactly !….. little girls like him and his bad boy stance and he’s marketed accordingly ….. just like almost EVERYTHING is marketed today …sexually .Urban , Luke Bryan , FGL , Sam Hunt and on and on and on and on . The ” music ” is less and less a factor .

That’s one thing that has long bothered me about Aldean. He doesn’t write, he doesn’t play guitar well, he isn’t particularly engaging on stage, he doesn’t produce, all he does is sing (pretty well but still).

When he makes albums, his only job is to pick good songs, he doesn’t need to write them himself. Yet he still fails to pick good songs.

I’d be slightly more tolerate of his lack of musical talent if perhaps he knew how to put on a really engaging show, whether that included choreography or light shows or something. But he doesn’t even do that.

His stage show reminds me of some old early ’80s rock band that’s still touring county fairs with 2 original members. He just brings nothing to the table.

I ztill don’t think the blackface is a big deal. If the dude takes 10 1/2 months of introspection to validate his stance…good for him. I think that’s much better than throwing out a quick apology that he doesn’t mean (see professional athletes). That being said, his music sucks.

Blackface is a big deal because of society, it should not be a big deal, but it is because people these days “Just Can’t.” If someone does it to be offensive that is plain wrong, but blackface in its self is not wrong. Seen the movie White Chicks? Yeah, terrible movie, but it was not offensive because 2 black guys did white face. It’s all in the view of society. sure, some people may be offended by it, but don’t get your feelings hurt because someone else may be offended.

Jason was in my top 3 until 2013 when he changed and started acting like a jerk I have all his records except his last. I had been hearing this record was more of a throwback to his others and I cautiously bought it. I’m sure I’ll be in the minority on here but I must say I was pleasantly surprised by it. It ain’t no traveller or metamodern but it was listenable. I only counted electronic drums on 4/15 songs which is refreshing. He has been saying a lot of dumb stuff lately but this record ain’t bad. Not many bro or metro-bro on here. The title track is probably the best song it hits on what he does best kinda reminds me of flyover states.

i completely agree i was a huge fan of his (even saw him at the rodeo around the time night train was out) but old boots was very disappointing but i bought the new one and was pleasantly surprised to hear that not only did he cut down on the electronic elements but he’s back to actually sounding country

can’t say i have a favorite because i haven’t listened to the whole thing but i love this plane don’t go there

Once again, as the old saying goes, it’s the hit dog that yelps. And I’ve said it about Luke Bryan and will say it about Jason Aldean — if he doesn’t want to get called out for making crappy music, there’s a really easy way to make that happen.

I’ve liked Jason Aldean for a while now. I’ve put up with awful singles and bad album cuts (I bought “Old Boots, New Dirt” at Target for the exclusive tracks, which were some of the best songs on the album) because I enjoyed when he actually tried. Now, it wasn’t solid country gold, by any stretch of the imagination. I think of the work of artists like Isbell and Simpson is like the best home cooked fried chicken ever. and Jason Aldean’s album cuts are drive-thru chicken nuggets. I enjoy both (not at the same level) at different times, depending on where I’m at in life and my mood.
That being said, nothing pisses me off more than people who play the victim. You just don’t release “1994” and “Burnin’ it Down” to COUNTRY radio, and then bitch about how people don’t understand you. If Aldean really wanted people to stand by him, and feel for him, he’d own up to his mistakes, instead of antagonizing those who “don’t get” what he’s going through.
I know I’m in the minority with this, but I want Jason to continue to make music. However, I also want it to be good music, and I want him to not be dick about it. Anyway, this comment ended up way longer than I originally intended, so I’m just gonna end it here. 😛

Pretty much my thoughts on him too. When he’s good it’s some good music and when he’s bad he’s terrible! I’m a sucker for album cuts too and his generally are some of the best out there. I think they don’t know is a step in the right direction for him

“You just don’t release “1994” and “Burnin’ it Down” to COUNTRY radio, and then bitch about how people don’t understand you…”

Two things …..
First ….WHY on God’s good earth would someone who is so successful that HE DOESN’T HAVE TO RELEASE THAT CRAP ( Urban , Luke Bryan etc.. ) keep doing so if they weren’t at the mercy of a label or their own bad taste ? And either way , it comes down to YOU as the artist not being able to distinguish a GOOD song from shit and just putting your foot down . If you COULD do that , wouldn’t you WANT to do that consistently ?

Second …..If you ARE aware that what you are releasing is SHIT then shame on you for pandering to fans who DON’T know the difference and are only there to see the latest hip and trendy act and will empty their pockets for anything and everything that any hip and trendy artists is hawking . Again …why would an artist who doesn’t HAVE to take advantage of a listener’s lack of judgement or taste simply go ahead and do so ? Seems to me the answer is simple …. $$$$$$$$ .

So no mercy or love from me for any artist who ( a) leaves his entire life/career up to a label’s dollar-driven judgement or ( b) knowingly takes advantage of listeners by shovelling shit at them that they KNOW that listener will purchase just because their name is on it .

To re-cap . Either you DON’T know that you are recording shit and shouldn’t be called an ‘ artist’
or you DO know full-well you are recording shit and shouldn’t be called an ‘ artist “….. cuz there are WAY more appropriate terms .

I can’t say I know Jason Aldean that well. But, watching him – particularly on the ACMs and CMAs and their related spinoff shows – I always get the impression that he’s haughty and boorish. The other bros seem to have fun and have a certain level of appreciation for playing a song or winning an award. Aldean has an attitude that seems to say, “I deserve to play my new single.” Or, “I deserve to win.” And does he ever smile?

Maybe he is not getting offered the A material. Who gets what song involves politics, money and who owes who a favor. Until a song is recorded and released for sale, the publisher must give the OK for it to be recorded and released the first time. Matching songs with performers is a complex process. For example, suppose Aldean and his producers are presented with a song they would like to record. In order to prevent another artist from recording it first, team Aldean puts a hold on it, meaning the publisher will not allow anyone else to record it. Sometimes the publishers requires a deposit to hold the song. Suppose the other artist is Tim McGraw, the reigning king of country music, and he really wants that song that Aldean has a hold on. So, McGraw offers the publisher even more upfront money and the publisher goes back to Aldean and says here’s your money back. We’re giving the song to McGraw. Part of the decision involves determining who will give the best treatment of a tune and who will be most likely to sell a bazillion copies. If you can’t write your own hits, then your stuck with what’s offered to you. Martina McBride hasn’t scored a hit since Carry Underwood came to town. Underwood was McBride’s younger replacement with a huge production and marketing team behind her. Since she is in a better position to sell massive amounts of recordings, songs that would have been offered McBride are now offered to Underwood. McBride is left writing her own material which is not as good as the material coming out of the Music Row writing sessions. So, is Aldean being offered the best material? Maybe not.

I actually like his music compared to his peer group. It is catchy ear worm stuff my kids like but I find myself cranking it up with them. I will give him credit for taking that rock edge to differentiate himself and I like guys who play loud. That said, he needs to understand the lyrics he is handed are getting beyond silly and there is only so long he can keep releasing songs in that lyrical vein before he starts to fade. He definitely has no one to blame but himself and needs to keep his mouth shut. He is no spokesman for any genre of music.

I don’t like most “bro-country”, and that’s ok. Liking/disliking certain music is personal taste etc. It does bother me when some people seem to extend a dislike of a person’s music to disliking the person or person’s character. I also think it’s generally important to acknowledge that while “we” might dislike a type of music, many other people do like it, and that is ok too. People who like “bro-country” aren’t bad people. I think to often on blogs like this (mostly in the comments section) it does take on a nasty edge. So on some level I do actually sympathize with Aldean’s point.

But, Aldean acts like someone I don’t think I’d like (leaving the music out of it), and in his response, as Trigger points out, he’s doing exactly what he’s complaining about. I won’t be buying Aldean’s music. From a sales perspective it looks like he’s going to drop a lot from his previous album. That’s not surprising, but looks like he might not even match Blake’s 1st wk numbers (Blake’s number’s were very good, but Aldean has easily outsold him in the past). So good news for those of us who don’t like Aldean.

I think his star is fading, and he has no one to blame but himself. After his cheating mess, Luke started distancing himself from Aldean. Luke still put on in front of a camera, but gone were pics on social media of them hunting and fishing together and their families hanging out. Luke has the reputation of being a good father/husband and supporting Aldean would not have fit well with that. Aldean comes across as having zero personality, as soes his wfe, and while the others that became popular at the same time as him have polished their looks, Aldean has gotten bald, bloated, and angry. He’s now like the high school quarterback that never left town and still works at the movie theatre. You appreciate what he used to be able to do, but now everyone else is moving on.

Great album cuts, several great singles, far too many subpar singles and one is too many awful singles let alone 3 (Burnin’ it Down, 1994, The Only Way I Know). This guy has it made if he wants it–he just has to return to form. I’ll even take the annoying “I’m a badass” Hicktowns and Johnny Cashes, just stop releasing horrible experiments.

And for him to say “do you homework” when he himself is about as informed as a stereotypical radical politician….

I hate Taylor Swift. Everything about her screams set up. But I would rather listen to her all day and night than Jason Aldean for three minutes. I have three points about him I would like to make: 1. He attended a private school that was created when integration was blossoming in the South called Windsor Academy. These types of schools were called ” segregation academies” because they were all white on purpose- to keep white kids away from black kids. 2. Therefore if he can’t understand why blackface would be insulting it may be because he was trained to think it wasn’t. 3. And in a GAC interview he gave long ago he claimed he hadn’t read a book since high school. Aldean is every bad country singer wrapped up into one. He isn’t a songwriter, a guitar player or a charmer. Most of the time he looks angry at the world, as though being a public figure is a pain in the ass. He has isn’t bright, he isn’t talented, and now he would like to brush aside his racist undercurrent. And yes blackface is racist. Jason Aldean may not being saying the n-word but by wearing blackface he is promoting a stereotype that demeans black people and their historic culture. But he was quick to use a part of that culture when he rapped for ” Dirt Road Anthem ” . I agree with Trig he is a product. And when he was here in Baltimore, and his product was given a poor review in The City Paper- his sponsors made the paper remove the review over threats of pulling away advertising. So when the product speaks we should all laugh a bit. Forgive him Lord he knows jackshit about being a real country singer.

I will have a proper review for his album in due course, and it will be based solely off the quality of the music, not what I think about Aldean personally or anything he’s said in interviews. I felt like some of the things he said needed to be addressed and given context, and I didn’t want to do that in the context of talking about his music.

That said, I’ve seen a lot of folks saying his new album is “better” than his last few albums, or “better” than his peers. None of this makes it good though. Setting expectations too low and barely meeting them is how country music got into this mess. And so few mainstream fans actually listen to the album cuts Alean wants us to give him credit for, while the terrible singles, including “Lights Come ON,” are getting broadcast over the public airwaves to the masses whether folks want to listen or not.

I think singles are a total mess right now. It’s partially the fault of the folks at radio, but the highest rated current song on the latest call-out rankings is “Make you miss me”. At some point it’s giving people (listeners) what they want. Happily, I Met a Girl, has moved into the top 5 at radio, so good things! It is often also true that many songs that will sell ok/well, don’t do as well on radio, because radio rewards songs that don’t make people think (good or bad).

But, for good reasons, most labels don’t want to release a song to radio, that radio doesn’t want to play/is going to get bad call numbers.

Willl you review it? Yes, I know your are busy but I’m a bit excited over it. I mean it might help Country Music grow a bit in Europe…. And I’m still counting UK as an European country even if the Brittish themselves doesn’t … 🙂

It’s like I’ve been long saying: I consider Aldean below-average as a singles A-lister act, but above-average as an album-track A-lister act.

My opinion on this new album is that it isn’t as good as the latter half of “Old Boots, New Dirt” (minus “Gonna Know We Were Here”), but it’s much more consistently tolerable front-to-back. It lacks the high points like “Don’t Change Gone” and “Too Fast” from his previous album, but the low points are also not nearly as awful as the likes of “Burnin’ It Down” and “Sweet Little Somethin'”.

So I can’t decide yet which is better. In the context of albums, I’d have to say “They Don’t Know” edges “Old Boots, New Dirt”. But in terms of a collection of songs, “Old Boots, New Dirt” has more standouts than “They Don’t Know” does. And where “Old Boots, New Dirt” had more variety when it came to tempo, virtually every single song on “They Don’t Know” is a guitar-driven mid-tempo, a guitar-driven power ballad or a ballad-y guitar-driven mid-tempo. Thus, it results in a largely forgettable blur.

As someone who used to be a big fan, he’s just embarrassing. I’m thankful (in a way) for his earlier work, because he was my first concert and what got me interested in music on a higher level. That was 10 years ago. My Lord, how things change.

I can’t imagine that this attitude will win him any new fans. It exudes elitism, which, in my opinion, is the opposite of what country is supposed to be. If I had never heard of Jason Aldean and read that article, I would definitely not be interested in listening to his music. It may re-affirm some of his existing fans’ belief in him, but that’s the only good I see from it.

All of these artists who complain about streaming services, don’t realize that by making it harder for their fans to consume their content, they just encourage piracy and getting zero $$$. Artists should be pissed at the record labels and the streaming sites for cooking up bad deals that don’t give them a big enough cut of the dough. I know some artists hate Apple Music and Spotify, but really the issue is the record labels who seem to be doing okay in the streaming age. I mean, Broken Bow hasn’t closed its doors even though Aldean is basically their only artist on the label.

Also, his lead single for this album has kinda failed to create much hype. I’m predicting his first week sales to only total to about 80K. This album should be the beginning of the end of his super stardom.

Because of era to era changes, I sort of feel like Blake’s is a good benchmark album for this year. He is a guy who sells generally very well, but just below the really top level. So I felt like his album was a good over/under performance barometer. FGL fell under, it’s looking like Aldean will fall under as well, but till time to adjust. So they both under-performed. I may be underselling how well Blake’s album did in this era.

(please note this has nothing to do with relative quality or lack there-of)

Considering “She’s Got A Way With Words” will all but certainly be the single that breaks Shelton’s unprecedented #1 singles streak for a solo artist on country radio, his current album has been selling quite well compared to its predecessor.

Despite falling short of Alabama’s record in terms of consecutive #1 radio hits and going empty-headed in terms of CMA nominations, I’d have to be feeling pretty good as a whole if I were Blake Shelton. He has rebounded pretty nicely from a crushing era-to-era decline between “Based On A True Story…” and “Bringing Back The Sunshine”.

Blake has better vocals but is so generic & calculated. With the amount of TV time & promotion Blake gets his numbers aren’t great. He got ok sales bumps in part for practically giving his cd for free & has had it on half prices for weeks. His album is cheesy fluff but sells it to the lonely Soccer Mom/Voice watcher. His Voice $ lets him do anything he wants now. Guess they can pay the difference when his CDs go on sale. BS has the backing of a network w/ publicity & appearances, it is just crazy that his CDs don’t sell more. They may go to his shows but just shows the quality of the record.

“But the reason he was recently snubbed completely by the CMA is because he’s a bad representative of what country music should aspire to be.”

Then how do you explain all the wins and nominations in recent years of other boorish types like Blake Shelton, Eric Church, etc. I don’t like Aldean either but I don’t think he’s particularly worse than his brocountry brothers.

Re his remarks ““It’s incredibly insulting to me. It’s meant to describe guys whose songs are all about pickup trucks, drinking beer and girls” sounds like a pretty apt description of modern “country music” (sic) to me.

Aldean isn’t even close to the talent that EC has….EC writes and puts out an album in a month and plays two acoustic shows solo at Red Rocks I would love to see Aldean pull that off…. I saw Aldean had one song on his new album that he wrote, it was prob put on there cause he was tired of hearing he doesn’t write
If it weren’t for Rhett Atkins, Brantley Gilbert, FGL his career would not be where it is today IMHO

Let’s go ahead and dispel all the rumors. Aldean is a giant douchbag. His “team” has hid it well but that is the bottom line. There has never been anything redeeming about this guy in the real world. Saw it from working on the Row. “Artists” like him are one of the reasons I left the music business because it doesn’t feel good to help those that give less than a shit about others or anyone that came before them. His new album will be the same pablum that he can sell to kids in hopes of getting there parents hard earned dollars. The fans, especially the ones who are 30+, that support his and other shitty Bro-Country acts are just as dumb as he is.
Oh…you hate the term, Bro-Country, Jason? You helped invent the bullshit sub-genre.
????????????

Apart from that redneck smirk in the above picture (though a lot of Bromeisters of the man’s stripe evince that, [as a representation of “redneck cool” perhaps?]) and the repetitious nature of the lyrics (beer; dirt roads; screwing hot blonde chicks on tailgates, etc.), the thing that I feel is really terrible about Aldean is that he is actually perpetrating a lot of the terrible tropes and stereotypes that people have about the South with that “They Don’t Know” attitude of his. Now it is quite true that people who don’t live in the South get more than a few things wrong about the people who were born and raised there. But a lot of people also know better as well.

At the same time, Aldean has been known to get quite a few things wrong too about people who live in other parts of the country and who don’t necessarily agree with Aldean’s confrontational notions about country music. I doubt seriously that all the things that he “talks” about, in what passes for his “songs” or his Angry Man interviews, are done by *everybody* in the South, let alone everyone else in any other part of America; and I doubt he gets it that country music is neither practiced nor performed the same way even in *his* precious South, let alone, say, Austin or Bakersfield, or the Appalachians or the Ozarks.

Aldean just comes across as a guy that, like so many of his “Bros”, doesn’t really get the rich history of country music, not just in the South but in other places of American where rural and small-town life still exist. And if Aldean doesn’t even understand the history of a genre he professes himselff as being a part of, then he shouldn’t be bitching about the criticism that is lobbed his way. As Harry Truman once said: “If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen.”

There’s no doubt that negative stereotypes abound about Southerners and country dwellers. But we don’t need Jason Aldean trying to clean up that mess. He’s the one helping to create it. That’s why the blackface issue was so important. I know there’s a lot of folks who look at it as this overly-PC issue that’s a non story, but for millions, it’s the exact type of dumb redneck bullshit they expect from a country star. I’m not offended that he wore blackface, I’m offended that Jason Aldean is representing what country music is to millions of people.

Are you talking about the last line, “Shut up and count your money.”? If so, “Shut up and count you are money” doesn’t make sense. “Shut up and count, you are money.” sort of makes sense, you are implying that Aldean is money and he should count, but what is he counting. How many pennies he has with his nickel? ‘Cause sure as hell he ain’t worth a dime.

So with tattoos on this town, I thought Aldean was just a low-IQ bar rocker with a chip on his shoulder and twang enough for country radio. Then I lost track because he blended in with the rest of the bro set. Now he pulls down 43.5 million a year, and I completely ceased to care. I thought his comments about Sturgill Simpson were reasonable, but now Trig pulls up the poop sheet on this guy and I think, well, I was right at the beginning to think he was just a douchebag who made it pro. And frankly, the guy is even more of a douche for cheating on his respectable country wife with a girl he probably thought with his multi-millions that he “deserved.” Jason, son? you have a lot of growing up to do. I’m glad I never plunked down hard cash for your prefab “angry” country. And I won’t be doing so anytime soon.

This tool is the root of all that is wrong w ‘country’.. he is a created , marketed puppet that is fed songs w a look to match. He sold his soul to be the clay Nashville molded…Before anyone says he ‘has that one song thats pretty good’.,. he was spoon fed that toon.

It’s looking like, as I expected, “They Don’t Know” will suffer a brutal 50% era-to-era decline in first-week sales due to the lack of a major hit with staying power thus far and likely fatigue with his signature sound.

Hits Daily Double is predicting sales-plus-streaming sales of 133,000 to 138,000 in its opening week. That’s down from 278,000 for “Old Boots, New Dirt”.

I personally still consider Aldean a more listenable album track A-lister compared to the majority of his peers, and it hasn’t changed with this album despite the lack of moments like “Don’t Change Gone”. Still, Aldean just comes across as unlikeable as ever in that interview and he should be concerned about his rapidly diminishing returns.

Here’s something that I feel I have to say. I hate the music of Jason Aldean as much as anyone on this site. But as for the idea that NO true country person actually enjoys “Bro-country” music- in my experience it just isn’t true. I’ve got friends and family that I could honestly describe as country who enjoy pop country music. The catch is that they know and love the classic country(and rock) stuff as well. I think what it boils down to is most people don’t care about music with the same passion as people who read this site do, so they can enjoy both superior and inferior music. Anyway, that’s just my opinion.

” The catch is that they know and love the classic country(and rock) stuff as well. I think what it boils down to is most people don’t care about music with the same passion as people who read this site do, so they can enjoy both superior and inferior music.”

Can’t argue that point , Andrew , as I’ve encountered the same fans in my travels . I think , however, that as caring , concerned fans of the genre we are more passionate about its direction and authenticity than most casual listeners , which is how I would describe a lot of the folks I meet . ” I don’t know ‘art’ but I know what I like ” is still the most indefensible argument ever fronted when it comes to taste. But I do believe that if you give folks the option of better music ( music with heart , empathy ,a solid display of musicianship – not machines- a more universal/timeless sentiment , a GREAT singer who can deliver etc.. ) then at least they will have been exposed to the things they may not be getting exposed to by radio and , at the very least , develop a stronger understanding of the issue . So many of today’s ” country ” fans are not fans of country music so much as they are fans of the pop elements in what’s CALLED country music. ….and by ‘ today ‘ I mean the way “country ” has been forced upon radio and listeners for over 15 years now ( Murder On Music Row..) .
Many of those fans were still crawling when they heard their first ‘ country ‘ song so THAT’S what country is to them .And to your point , yes …many longtime fans of the genre are fans of the radio …whatever the radio plays MUST be good and must be country if they call it that . It only takes 4-5 listens for a casual listener to adapt to any hook ….good or bad …pop or country …TV commercial or theme song . But I still believe that there are a LOT of ears that , given the option , would be blown away by how much better their listening experience could be if they were made aware of music and lyric with substance …especially serious young writers and performers being raised on radio crap . It will be up to these young artists to save the best of the genre by educating themselves and applying their insights and talents to THEIR art accordingly . I shudder to think of what today’s 5 year old budding songwriter will be writing if all he’s exposed to are the Luke Bryan’s or Blake Shelton’s and so many other transgressors . What a waste ….what a shame ….and what a huge backward step for the genre …and culture . Yes we’ve already seen it in the way the industry manipulates artists right now ….but my God if this trajectory continues those talented would-be writers will go undernourished , uninspired and , probably , unknown outside of the very very young , trend-chasing finicky market they are packaged for . As caring fans , lovers of all that traditionally is good about the genre and as creators and educators ( and I believe we all are ) its incumbent upon is to step up and do our job …keep exposing new ears and minds to the BEST options available and call out the crap that seeks to undermine creativity and positive experience in the name of a dollar .

There was a time when I was a big fan of Jason’s. Now, not so much. I miss the days of “Asphalt Cowboy” and “Amarillo Sky”. The big man upstairs knows my family has lived Amarillo Sky going on he fourth generation on our piece of dirt. At least that paid tribute to the real trials and tribulations of farm life, unlike Luke’s “Here’s to a farmer”. Even Hicktown wasn’t a terrible song, that was pretty kick ass when I was in high school, kinda reminds me of some of the stuff me and my buddies got into. If he wants to the blue collar representative, he needs to go back to that state of mind. I also really enjoyed his version of “Are the good times really over (for good)”, which really kinda chaps me as well. He has shown he can do true country and he’s thrown it away to sit at the cool kids table.

To me Jason Aldean is a bit of the Axl Rose of country music. (Assuming you ignore all incredibly crappy singles Aldean has released) he’s got some pretty great songs strewn throughout his albums. Like Nadia above, I actually thought Old Boots was a good album with some really stellar songs buried in it. The problem is it’s hard to like him (or even admit that you do) if you have to look at him or listen to anything that he says. Just like Axl, he just comes across like another jerk. Guys like this make you long for the days before the Internet and MTV, when you used to just hear them on the radio and judge them solely based on the music and not on their appearance or their opinions. I know that’s the people on this website really don’t like him, but if you pick and choose through each of his albums you can make a really great playlist of some good country and rock and country songs. I like everybody else here, I have to agree, he comes across looks like a tool.

You can find good SONGS.
Just because these good songs found their way into a below average singer and performer.
Face it, the majority of the public listens to what they are told to and those spots are continually influenced by money and favors changing hands. Payola is alive and well…and the puppeteers want the some of the best puppets. Who do you actually steers those ships? “Nashville artists”? Some…Yes. Usually the ones that end up with life long careers and can continue to perform or record as life goes on; not look like the high school quarterback jackass that stayed too long at the party.
But most are glad to be there, glad to take the labels heavy handed suggestions on what to record and how to record it. Glad to continue to stay in line so not to those all the riches their bank accounts and egos have become used to….or need to pay alimony and child support.
Those that aren’t are quietly shown the door to obscurity or redemption. It’s their choice how they handle it.
But yeah…probably are great songs….somewhere on Aldean’s albums but maybe if someone else was singing them, I might listen.

I am not confused or misled by what a puppet he clearly is. That said, I do think his voice has power and conveys the “good” songs well. No one on the site knows for sure whether or not he chooses his own songs or whether his management chooses them or if it’s some combination. A guy who can’t play an instrument and doesn’t write his own songs doesn’t hold a candle to somebody like Dwight Yoakam or Steve Earle in my opinion, but that’s not a reason to not listen to the good stuff that such a puppet puts out. I will always come out in favor of, and support much more strongly, the artists that create. Jason Aldean falls very short in this department, and when you couple that with what appears to be a rather ignorant personality, as I said above it makes him hard to like. With that said, he does have some good, pure, country songs that he performs well and that I feel stand up and are worth repeated listenings. Criticize me for that all you want, but they’re obviously plent of other people’s names this site alone that support him for the same reason. And these are not all just 30-year-old ignorant party animals. I am anything but that. I think one of the most respected commenters on this site, Nadia Lockhart, has also made it clear that she finds substance and value in many of his songs. I shouldn’t have to defend the fact that I like many of the songs. And I will be the first one to admit that he does more damage than good to himself with his personality and appearance. In fact that’s what my post about states. As I said, he is like Axl in that you can love Rocket Queen and the voice behind it and stil dislike the singer that sings it (and yes, I am well aware the axle Rose writes his songs (although he did this better with Izzy as his co-writer) and can play (marginally) some instruments, so I do recognize the differences there as well).

I like most of all of Jason Aldeans albums. Most of them have had some really well written songs on them, especially the Neil Thrasher/Wendell Mobley written ones. But the last CD was subpar at best, and this one is his worst yet. Pretty disappointing.

I hate to admit I actually have three of his albums, the first one I have is relentless, not too bad. Then night train, not too good. Then google was giving away old boots mp3 album, free, and it was still too much.
So, yeah, count me out on this one.

I was talking the other day with some friends about Aldean and Bryan (all of which like them more than me), and who was better. My opinion is that Luke seems like a really nice guy off the stage, but his music is definitely worse than Aldean’s. But Aldean just seems like a complete jerk off the stage, but he had some good stuff early in his career, and Bryan has never released anything as good as “The Truth” or “Flyover States” (which are probably my favorite Aldean songs).

Anyways, I haven’t heard an Aldean song I like in several years, “Night Train”. I figured some of the success of Stapleton and Pardi would lead someone like Aldean back to his roots.